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How advanced tax planning for family estates coordinates the $15M exclusion, gifting, trusts and basis so one decision doesn't undo another.
Advanced tax planning for family estates is about coordination. The estate tax exclusion, lifetime gifts, trusts and income tax basis all interact, and a good move in one area can quietly cost you in another. Here's how we think about it for families in Las Vegas and beyond.
It coordinates four things: the federal exclusion, gifting, trusts, and the income tax basis your heirs will inherit. For 2026 the basic exclusion amount is $15,000,000 and the annual gift exclusion is $19,000, which frame most of the decisions.
| Tool | What it's used for |
|---|---|
| Basic exclusion | Amount that can pass free of federal estate tax |
| Annual gifts | Moving assets to family in smaller yearly amounts |
| Trusts | Controlling who gets what, when, and who can reach it |
| Basis planning | Managing capital gains for heirs |
The 2026 basic exclusion is $15,000,000 per person under current IRS guidance. For married couples, the IRS says estates of decedents survived by a spouse may elect to pass any unused exclusion to the surviving spouse.
In a made-up example, a couple with an $18,000,000 estate is over one person's exclusion but could be under the combined amount if the survivor's plan preserves the first spouse's unused exclusion. How assets are titled and what the documents say decide whether that works.
Each person can give up to $19,000 per recipient in 2026. In a made-up example, a married couple with three children could give $19,000 to each child from each spouse, or $114,000 in a year (2 x 3 x $19,000).
Gifts move future growth out of the estate, but they carry a cost. The recipient generally takes your adjusted basis rather than a step-up, so a low-basis asset can hand your child a large capital gain later. See step-up in basis planning before giving appreciated property.
Trusts let you decide the terms, not just the recipients: timing, conditions, and protection from creditors and divorce. The type of trust also changes how income is taxed.
That is covered in our guide to complex trust estate tax planning. For creditor protection, see our asset protection page.
After any major change in law, family or assets. Given how much moved in 2025, 2026 is a good year for a review.
Our 2026 estate tax exemption guide explains what changed.
If you'd like to see how this applies to your situation, book your tax strategy call or call 702-852-2577. For how we approach the bigger picture, see our advanced tax strategies page.
About the author: D. Lenny Whiting, Esq., CPA, MS is the Managing Partner of CPA Attorney, LLC in Las Vegas. He is a licensed attorney in Nevada and Utah and a Nevada CPA. More about Lenny.
This article is general information, not legal or tax advice for your situation. Tax rules change, and results depend on your facts.
CPA Attorney Owner
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